UNH Scientists Available to Discuss Closure of Massachusetts Oyster Farms

UNH Scientists Available to Discuss Closure of Massachusetts Oyster Farms Scientists with the NH Agricultural Experiment Station (NHAES) at the University of New Hampshire College of Life Sciences and Agriculture are available to discuss the recent closure of oyster farms in Edgartown, Mass., due to concerns about Vibrio parahaemolytius, the bacterium that sickened people who ate oysters from contaminated beds in several Northeastern locations in the summers of 2012 and 2013. The following researchers are available to discuss the Katama Bay oyster farm closures: Cheryl Whistler, associate professor of molecular, cellular, and biomedical Sciences603-862-2359 (office)603-862-2212 (lab)[email protected] Steve Jones, research associate professor of natural resources and the environment603-862-5124 (office)[email protected] Vaughn Cooper, associate professor of molecular, cellular, and biomedical sciences603-862-3422 (office)603-988-7590 (cell)[email protected] In recent years, there has been an increase in the incidence of shellfish contamination with the environmentally transmitted pathogen Vibrio parahaemolytius, which has caused costly recalls of shellfish and shellfish bed closures in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Some strains of the microbe cause disease and others do not. The presence of pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus is rare in the Northeast as cooler water temperatures protect against bacterial growth. But with the regions’ rise in ocean temperatures and unusually heavy, intermittent rainstorms, conditions have changed over time, generating a host of problems that impact people’s health and the economy. A close relative to the bacterium that causes cholera, Vibrio parahaemolyticus lives in brackish saltwater and thrives during the summer months when water temperatures increase. It is known to enter the body through ingestion or exposure to wounds, but severe disease is relatively uncommon. Within 24 hours of infection, Vibrio parahaemolyticus typically causes watery diarrhea along with nausea, fever, and chills that last three days on average. Such food associated-illness can be prevented by cooking the shellfish and care in preventing cross-contamination as with all uncooked foods.